astronomy

University of South Alabama

University of South Alabama is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand University of South Alabama rather than just read about it. In short: The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May 1963, and replaced the existing extension programs operated by the University of Alabama.

Key takeaways

University of South Alabama belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect University of South Alabama to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of University of South Alabama from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The University of South Alabama (USA) is a public research university in Mobile, Alabama, United States. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in May 1963, and replaced the existing extension programs operated by the University of Alabama. The first classes were held in June 1964 with an enrollment of 276 students; the first commencement was held in June 1967. USA is divided into ten colleges and schools that include one of Alabama's two state-supported medical schools. In the fall semester of 2018, South Alabama had an enrollment of 15,093 students. By the spring of 2019, the university had awarded over 90,000 degrees. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity". The university claims to have an annual economic impact of $3 billion.

History

Founding USA was founded in 1963 as an integrated institution to provide public higher education to the Gulf Coast region. Classes began in June 1964 with 276 students, and the first graduation was in 1967. Frederick Palmer Whiddon served as founding president.

21st-century developments USA now has 11 colleges and schools and continues to expand in research and healthcare. Football and other athletic programs have grown, including the opening of Hancock Whitney Stadium in 2022.

Academics

The university offers a range of undergraduate and graduate degrees in ten colleges and schools. Several programs offer masters level degrees in addition to undergraduate degrees. Doctoral level degrees are offered in several areas, including a Doctor of Pharmacy degree offered in collaboration with Auburn University. USA also offers classes in nearby Baldwin County at its Fairhope campus, and in 2015 opened Gulf Coast Campus. Students at South Alabama can choose from more than 50 bachelor's degree and certificate programs and more than 40 master's degree programs. As of 2011, USA ranks as the 22nd best public university in the southern United States, and 52nd overall in the South. It has an acceptance rate of 86.5%. The student-faculty ratio at USA is 18:1. USA students are 57% female and 43% male. As of 2018, the university had a 44% six-year graduation rate and a 22% four-year graduation rate for bachelor's degree programs.

Colleges

The University of South Alabama has ten colleges and schools:

Pat Capps Covey College of Allied Health Professions College of Arts and Sciences Mitchell College of Business College of Education and Professional Studies College of Engineering Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine College of Nursing School of Computing Honors College Graduate School

Administration The university is governed by a board of trustees appointed by and including the governor of Alabama. The board appoints a president of the university. Frederick Palmer Whiddon served as president from 1963 until 1998 and was succeeded by V. Gordon Moulton who served until 2013. John W. Smith, the current executive vice president, served as an interim president until the arrival of Tony G. Waldrop in 2014 and after his retirement in 2021. Jo Bonner was appointed as university president in 2021.

Athletics

The South Alabama Jaguars compete in the Sun Belt Conference with 17 varsity sports. Football began in 2009 and baseball, basketball, and other programs have national recognition.

Football The football games are played on Abraham A. Mitchell Field on the Hancock Whitney Stadium since 2020.

Basketball South Alabama men's and women's basketball play in the 10,000 seat Mitchell Center that opened in 1999.

Baseball and softball South Alabama's home park is Eddie Stanky Field, a 3,775-seat stadium with a natural grass playing surface. The stadium was opened in 1980, renovated in 2004, and received new turf in 2024. Softball is played at Jaguar Field since 2007. In 2015, the capacity was increased to 1,050.

Legal and other matters

Police shooting On October 12, 2012, 18-year-old freshman Gil Collar was shot and killed by a campus police officer, after appearing naked outside the police station. Ashley Rich, the county district attorney, stated that Collar was under the influence of a non-controlled drug, NBOMe, that he had consume earlier that day at Bayfest. The student's family filed suit against the university, the officer involved, and the police chief, Herbert Earl "Zeke" Aull. In February 2013, a Mobile County judge ruled that the university was not liable for the student's death. In 2014, the case moved to federal court. In 2015, the officer was cleared in a civil suit. The shooting inspired Brian Burghart, then editor of the News & Review in Reno, to found Fatal Encounters, a database that tracks killings by law enforcement officers.

2014 federal discrimination lawsuit In 2014, a group of students belonging to Students for Life USA, a pro-life student organization, filed a complaint about alleged discrimination in federal court against University of South Alabama officials. The university later settled the lawsuit agreeing to change a portion of the university's policy on the use of space and facilities, and to pay an unspecified sum settling "all of plaintiff's remaining claims, including liability, damages, and attorney's fees".

Abuse lawsuits In September 2021, a lawsuit was filed against a former University of South Alabama volleyball coach due to alleged sexual and mental abuse in 2019 and 2020. The lawsuit included eight former players as plaintiffs. The amendment also alleged that university administrators had knowledge of the abuse and added the university's athletic directors and coaches as defendants. In 2022, a second lawsuit was filed by an additional former player. WKRG-TV reported that the claims of abuse made by the second lawsuit was similar to the first and that both allegations included inappropriate touching and overtraining. The volleyball coach was hired by the University of South Alabama in December 2018 and resigned in February 2021.

Notable alumni Luis Gonzalez, baseball player David Freese, baseball player Michael Kearney, child prodigy Heath Slocum, golfer Juan Pierre, baseball player Jon Lieber, MLB pitcher

Publications USA Vanguard College Student Journal (founded 1966).

Notes

References

External links

Official website Athletics website Encyclopedia of Alabama

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with University of South Alabama

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what University of South Alabama claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to University of South Alabama before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about University of South Alabama ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of University of South Alabama

In research: University of South Alabama appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses University of South Alabama in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: University of South Alabama is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1964 establishments in Alabama, BSL3 laboratories in the United States, Educational institutions in the United States established in 1964, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for University of South Alabama outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study University of South Alabama in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what University of South Alabama means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain University of South Alabama out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is University of South Alabama in simple terms?

Why does University of South Alabama matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study University of South Alabama?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on University of South Alabama.